HCE Blog

  Have you ever wondered how you would respond in the face of adversity? Stormie Childer’s has had a long road to overcoming the lemons life has thrown at her, and she’s turning every one of them into the best lemonade on the market. In April of 2020, at the beginning of a pandemic, she started experiencing bowel issues and stomach pain. With a family history of colon cancer, she immediately sc...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Natalie Haywood!  Natalie is the Director of Events and Communication for the Texarkana USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. She’s been part of the chamber since February 2019!  Her greatest professional accomplishment was helping her team at the Texarkana Chamber earn the Leadership Texarkana Wilbur Award for Organization of the Year in ...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Jerald “Burger” Birmingham!  Why is he called “Burger,” you may ask? When he first started EMT school, he was working at Burger King. His instructor used to refer to him as “Burger Boy,” and over 17 years later, the “Boy” has been dropped and he is now the Burger of the EMS world. Burger works at Southwest EMS as a paramedic, clinical...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Gerry Stanford! Gerry Stanford is the Executive Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach at Texarkana Independent School District. Gerry has been with TISD for three and a half years and is a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association and East Texas Football Coaches Association. His favorite thing about being a coach is h...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Christina Anderson. Christina is a principal with the Anderson Foundation, which is a foundation co-founded by her and her husband, Richard Anderson. Christina has been involved with community volunteerism since she moved to Marshall 25 years ago. In her work as a volunteer in Marshall, Harrison County, and the region, Christina curre...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Robert “Bob” Gamez! Bob has worked for the city of Atlanta for two years! He maintains our lovely downtown area. Bob is also a member of the Men’s Golf Association at Indian Hills Country Club. Often, he and his wife help out with the Girl Scouts of America in support of their twins. Bob’s favorite thing about Atlanta is that he knows...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Bryan Roppolo. Bryan is the owner of Roppolo’s Insulation and the co-founder of the Giving Bak Foundation. He has lived in South Shreveport his whole life, and he has done so much to try to help improve the city. Bryan consistently gives back to the community through service in several organizations and disaster relief through Operatio...

  We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Horatio Sotelo!   Horatio has been the pastor at Praise Temple Church for thirteen years! He is an active member of Feeding America and Harvest Foodbank. He loves serving De Queen because he was raised here and has been treated so well by the community. Horatio is proud to be a part of the change in the city, helping it become a bet...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Pat Baker!      Pat is the co-owner of Baker’s Fine Jewelry with her daughter, Carla Baggett. She’s owned and operated this business for 39 years! Pat is also a member of the Bryant Rotary Club and both the Bryant and Benton Chamber of Commerce. She served on the board of the Bryant Boys and Girls Club for ten years and is now an honor...

We would like for you to meet this week’s Hometown Hero: Pastor Gary Savage! Pastor Savage is proud to have accepted his calling to join the ministry and how he has helped bring people in the Paris community into faith. He loves Paris for how small its community is, yet how full it is of job opportunities, entertainment, and opportunities for people to become better. Pastor Savage spends tim...